Blueberry Lemon Muffins

These muffins are easy and delicious.  If you don't have lemon extract, use vanilla, and if you don't have half-and-half cream use milk.  I almost always put all the dry ingredients and wet ingredients into my mixer at once to make it easier, but add fruit last and just mix gently. They will still be delicious!

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

This is our second favorite muffin, first being the lemon blueberry muffin.  Easy and quick, no tricky ingredients.  I bought new muffin "tins" and I LOVE them.  Why did it take me so long to switch over?  I hated cleaning the stainless ones, and I also always ran out of muffin liners.  All my problems solved!  These are so easy to use and to clean.  I'm adding these to my list of favorite kitchen supply purchases ever.

Red Silicone BPA Free Muffin Pan

Here's the recipe!

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

2 TBS butter, melted

1 TBS vanilla extract

For Topping:
4 TBS butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.   

In a large bowl whisk together milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla.

Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir just until no big lumps remain.  

Fill muffin pan about 2/3 full.

(If use the silicone muffin tins, you need to put them on a cookie sheet first before pouring-this is how they bake in oven since they are wobbly.)

Bake 20-24 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Combine sugar and cinnamon for topping.

Once the muffins are cool, remove from pan and dip the tops of the cupcakes in the melted butter that was set aside for the topping, and then roll the top in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.

Ready to eat!

Jenny's Eggy Casserole

My friend Jenny made this for us when I was sick and it was gobbled up so quickly I had to ask for the recipe.  I've made it many times since then and it is always a hit.  It refrigerates well after baked, so the kids can have a piece before they go to school in the morning (high school growing boy breakfast for sure) if there are any leftovers.

Jenny's Eggy Casserole

Grease a 9 x 12 pan (I use cooking spray).
 Whip 8 eggs.
Add 3 cups of milk.
Add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
Tear up 8 cups of bread-I've always used 5-6 English Muffins, but any bread would do.
Add 8 oz of ground cooked sausage (I only use 1/2 the 16 oz. package and save the rest so it's not too heavy on meat.)
Pour into the pan.
Top with 2 cups of shredded cheese (I've used provolone or cheddar.)

Chill overnight.

Bake for 40 minutes, at 350 degrees.

Bread Maker Doughnuts

You can easily double this recipe but this makes the perfect amount for us...about 8 doughnuts.

1/2 cup warm milk

1/2 beaten egg

1/4 cup butter

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp active dry yeast

8 cups vegetable oil (I used my deep fryer)

Place the milk and egg into the pan of bread maker and then add butter and dry ingredients in order listed, with yeast on top.
Select dough setting.
When cycle is finished, cut the dough into 8 pieces and form each into a disc.
Use a bottle top to punch out middle for doughnut holes.
Let the doughnuts rise on floured surface until at least doubled in size...this took hours for me, but all depends on air temperature.  And I wanted my doughnuts to be as light and airy as possible.
Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees.
Gently place a few doughnuts in fryer until they float and turn golden brown, 1-2 minutes.
Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

I placed powdered sugar in a paper bag and shook each doughnut to coat immediately.

Bread Machine Bagels

I have been making batches of these like a crazy woman.  They are easy and so so so good.  And the best thing is that they don't cost $14 a dozen.  I bet they come in under $1.

This recipe is from AllRecipes and I use my Zojirushi Breadmaker...I love that thing.  The recipe makes about 8 bagels.  Last week I doubled it, and the bread maker handled it fine.

1 cup warm water
3 cups of bread flour
2 TBS white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3 TBS sugar
1 TSP cornmeal
1 egg white

Toppings if wish:  shredded asiago cheese, poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, rock salt, cinnamon sugar...

1.  I add the first 5 ingredients in the order listed.  Set on Dough Cycle.  When complete, place dough on a lightly floured surface. Shape into 8-10 balls, flatten them, and then poke hole in the middle.  (Make it big, because dough will rise.)

2. Cover bagels with a clean dish towel, and let rise.  Mine take about 30-60 minutes to get rise.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil.  Dissolve 3 TBS of sugar in boiling water.

3. Sprinkle an ungreased cookie sheet with cornmeal.  Heat oven to 375.  Transfer bagels to boiling water.  (My pot holds about 4 at a time.)  Boil for 1 minute, turning halfway through.  Remove bagels and place on dish towel to drain.

4. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze top with egg white.

My kids love asiago cheese bagels, so I will grate some of that and sprinkle on top.  They also love "everything" bagels:  I mix up some poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, and a teeny bit of coarse salt. I will dip the top of the bagel in the egg white, and then dip it in the "everything mixture".  We haven't tried cinnamon sugar yet, but I bet that would be good.

5. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

PS.  There is a little Print Friendly button down below.

Raspberry or Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Abbey served these for her birthday snack at school, which they have right when they get there in the morning.  I doubled the recipe. 

In our house the boys prefer blueberries, the girls raspberries.

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup half-and-half cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. lemon extract

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries, whatever you'd prefer

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Combine the eggs, cream, oil and lemon extract: stir into dry ingedients just until moistened.

Fold in berries, carefully!

Spoon into paper lined muffin cups.

Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.

Yields 18 muffins.

Almost No Sugar Banana Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 ripe mashed bananas

a little less than 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 sour cream

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix together banana, sugar, egg and vanilla.

Stir in sour cream.

Add dry ingredients.

Scoop into muffin cups. (Makes 12.)

Bake for 15 minutes.

For best flavor, put in a ziploc bag overnight.

Morning Smoothie

My morning ritutual:

One perfectly ripe banana.

A handful of frozen strawberries.

A cup of soy milk.

A hefty dash or two of OJ.

Blend.

Pour.

Share.

Sip while:

Making breakfast, packing lunch, finding homework, smoothing hair, changing diaper, changing moods!, watching time...

Great Granola

4 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick oats!)

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut (and before you say yuck, trust me, you would never ever know there was coconut in this recipe)

3/4 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup chopped almonds

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

Mix dry ingredients. In separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Mix wet with dry. Lay on pans and bake at 325 for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Let cool completely.

(Recipe thanks to my friend Ellen, who brought over a little container of this and got me craving it forever.)